What Causes Extreme Hunger During Menopause

You may sometimes have a craving for a particular food that’s so intense you can practically taste the food in your mouth. Imagine what it would be like if you regularly experienced such intense food cravings.
Some people who are going through the transition to menopause have major cravings, which may be partially a result of this transition itself.

What causes extreme hunger during menopause?
Changes to your menstrual cycle can happen over a period of several years or even longer, leading up to the time when menstrual periods stop forever. Changing hormone levels are responsible for this transition and can trigger a number of symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats, joint pain, headaches, and vaginal dryness.

Those changing hormone levels might also make you feel hungry — maybe hungrier than you’ve ever been before. So yes, hormonal fluctuations are partially responsible for your increased desire for cupcakes and potato chips.
A small 2014 studyTrusted Source in 94 premenopausal women found that an increase in hunger often accompanied the menopausal transition.

So, if you’re feeling extra hungry as you go through perimenopause or menopause, you’re not alone. Here’s what you might want to know about this experience.

Hormones and hunger
Anyone who has ever gritted their teeth and called upon willpower to resist the siren call of the kitchen pantry can attest that willpower isn’t always enough. Your hormones can make you hungry — really hungry.

Estrogen
During perimenopause, your estrogen levels fluctuate as your body prepares for menopause. But ultimately, your estrogen levels will begin to decline.
Estrogen is thought to dampen appetite. So, when your estrogen levels begin to decline, estrogen may no longer inhibit your appetite to the same degree that it once did.

Leptin
Leptin is a hormone produced by your fat cells that helps you regulate energy. Some people call it the “satiety hormone” because it inhibits hunger.
High levels of leptin tell your brain that you’ve eaten and it’s time to stop eating. This helps regulate your weight. Some research published in 2000, as well as more recent research from 2020, suggests that aging is associated with lower levels of leptin, which may make you feel hungrier.

Ghrelin
If leptin is the satiety hormone, then ghrelin is the opposite — the “hunger hormoneTrusted Source.” Ghrelin levels tend to increase during perimenopause, making you feel hungrier.
ResearchTrusted Source suggests that people with higher baseline ghrelin levels tend to have more intense food cravings.
The cells in your gastrointestinal tract produce ghrelin, which signals to your brain when your stomach is empty, telling your brain it’s time to eat. Your ghrelin levels typically increase between meals and then decrease once you’ve eaten.